A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Pretoria vs. Zagreb for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Pretoria or Zagreb?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Should I visit Pretoria or Zagreb? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.

Where Should I go: Pretoria or Zagreb?

Pretoria

Located in Gauteng Province, Pretoria is the administrative capital city of South Africa, making it home to many government buildings and three universities. It is actually one of three capital cities, being home to the executive branch, with Cape Town as the legislative capital and Bloemfontein as the judicial capital. Within South Africa, Pretoria is also known as the "Jacaranda City" due to the thousands of jacaranda trees lining its streets, parks, and gardens.

Zagreb

Zagreb, in central Croatia, is the country's capital. It has a wonderful old town that has cobblestone streets, historic buildings, and a great atmosphere. Many people travel to Croatia specifically for its beaches and coastal towns, but if you overlook this lovely capital city, you'll miss a large part of the culture and personality that is Croatia.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, The Best Sightseeing Tours in South Africa, The Best 2-Week Tours from Dubrovnik, and The Best 2-Week Tours from Split.


Which place is cheaper, Zagreb or Pretoria?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Pretoria is $50, while the average daily cost in Zagreb is $82. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Pretoria and Zagreb in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Pretoria $25
    Zagreb $51
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Pretoria $50
    Zagreb $102
Compare Hotels in Pretoria and Zagreb

Looking for a hotel in Pretoria or Zagreb? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Pretoria


Hotels in Zagreb


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Zagreb Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Pretoria $12
    Zagreb $9.69

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Pretoria

Also for Pretoria, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Gauteng, South Africa: Airport transfers, shuttle services: $27
  • One Way Private Transfer from Airports and Hotels in Sandton: $89
  • Shuttle Transfer from Gauteng to Greater Kruger: $61
  • Sun City Private Transfer: $250

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Zagreb

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Zagreb:

  • private transfer from Trogir/Split to Zagreb via Plitvice: $1,765
  • Private Walking Tour with Funicular Ride & Transfers: $54
  • Private Transfer to/from Zagreb Airport: $20
  • Bus transfer from/to Rijeka: $7.00
  • Zagreb to Split Group Transfer with Plitvice Lakes guided Tour: $152
  • Zagreb to Rovinj private transfer or vice versa: $274
  • Zagreb to Pula private one way transfer (or vice versa): $241
  • Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes area - Private Transfer (or vice-versa): $164
  • Zagreb to Franjo Tudman Airport(ZAG) - Departure Private Transfer: $16
  • Zagreb to Budapest Private Transfer by Minivan: $537
  • Zagreb city to Zagreb Airport private transfer: $88
  • Zagreb Departure Private Transfers from Zagreb City to Zagreb Airport ZAG: $62

Is it cheaper to fly into Pretoria or Zagreb?

Prices for flights to both Zagreb and Pretoria change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Pretoria $15
    Zagreb $18

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Zagreb

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Zagreb.

  • Taste Zagreb Food Tour: $74
  • Taste Zagreb Food Tour: $75
  • Private Authentic Croatian Cooking Class in Central Zagreb: $114
  • Zagreb Walking Food Tour - Sightseeing - Dolac market visit: $137
  • Private Authentic Market Tour and Cooking Class in the Heart of Zagreb: $144
  • PRIVATE Half-Day Food Tour: The 10 Tastings of Zagreb With Locals: $196
  • Wine & Food tour of Plešivica near Zagreb: $958

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Pretoria $14
    Zagreb $13

Tours and Activities in Pretoria

For Pretoria, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • History Bicycle Tour of Soweto: $40
  • Apartheid Museum Tour in Johannesburg from Pretoria, every FRIDAY afternoon: $51
  • Apartheid Museum Tour in Johannesburg, every FRIDAY afternoon: $51
  • Soweto and Johannesburg Tours: $55
  • Soweto Township Tour from Johannesburg - Friday Special: $58
  • Soweto & Johannesburg - walking, Bike , E-scooter, Tuk Tuk Tour : $58
  • Pretoria Tour-Voortrekker Monument, Town, Union Buildings: $59
  • Cullinan Diamond Mine Surface Guided Tour from Pretoria, every MONDAY: $61
  • Soweto Pub-Crawl Tour: $61
  • Taste of Africa Food tasting Experience & Optional Beer Tasting: $61
  • Johannesburg exploration tour(Jo-burg/Soweto & Apartheid museum): $66
  • Private Johannesburg and Soweto with Apartheid museum tour: $69

Tours and Activities in Zagreb

Here are a few actual costs in Zagreb for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Private eclectic experience of Rastoke and Plitvice Lakes National Park: $164
  • Zagreb History Walking Tour: $32
  • 2-Hour Private Walking Tour in Zagreb City with Guide (up to 10): $153
  • 2-Hour Unveiling A Captivating History Tour: $108
  • 4 Day Touristic Adventure from Zagreb: $2,465
  • 4-hour Private Zagreb & the Mountain Tour in a Yugo car: $115
  • All-Inclusive Day Tour Zagreb-Rastoke-Plitvice Lakes-Split: $968
  • Back to Yugoslavia Private City Tour in Old-Timer Yugo Car: $93
  • Baroque Varaždin and Trakošćan Castle Private Tour: $177
  • Beautiful Christmas in Zagreb - Walking Tour: $435
  • Best of ISTRIA: Amphitheater PULA + ROVINJ + HUM or POREČ - fully Private Tour: $263
  • Best of Zagreb Walking Tour: $73

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Pretoria $31
    Zagreb $9.49

Sample the Local Flavors in Zagreb

Also in Zagreb, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Zagreb Pub Crawl: $16
  • Zagreb:Private Bar Crawling and Alcohol Testing with a Guide: $32
  • Zagreb Wine Tasting & Jarun Lake Tour: $75
  • Private Zagreb Walking Tour and Wine Tasting From Zagreb: $103
  • Taste Zagreb Heritage Wine Tasting with Traditional Lunch: $179
  • Plesivica countryside Wine Tasting: $199
  • Fairytale castle & delicious wine tasting and lunch: $202
  • Private Wine Tasting Tour from Zagreb: $208
  • Castles & Wine Tasting - Private Day Trip from Zagreb: $235


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Pretoria and Zagreb, we can see that Zagreb is more expensive. And not only is Pretoria much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Pretoria is in Africa and Zagreb is in Europe, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Pretoria would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Pretoria and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Zagreb would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Zagreb than you might in Pretoria.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Pretoria Expensive? and Is Zagreb Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Pretoria or Zagreb?

Pretoria has a larger population, and is about 2 times larger than the population of Zagreb. When comparing the sizes of Pretoria and Zagreb, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.